1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a line head for imaging a light beam emitted from a light emitting element by a lens and an image forming apparatus using such a line head.
2. Related Art
In such a line head, as disclosed in JP-A-2007-290303 for example, a plurality of light emitting elements are arrayed in a longitudinal direction (X-direction in JP-A-2007-290303) in two rows in an offset manner (see FIG. 3 and other figures of JP-A-2007-290303). These light emitting elements are formed on a head substrate and the light emitting operations of the respective light emitting elements are controlled by a controller outside the head substrate. Such a control of the light emitting elements by the controller outside the head substrate can be realized, for example, using connecting members such as flexible printed boards or FPCs (flexible printed circuits).
Specifically, one end of the FPC is attached to the head substrate and the other end thereof is drawn to the outside of the head substrate. The one end of this FPC is connected with wirings drawn from the respective light emitting elements. Accordingly, when an emission control signal from the controller is inputted to the other end of the FPC, the light emitting elements emit light beams in accordance with this emission control signal. In this way, the light emissions of the light emitting elements can be controlled by the external controller. Further, the light beams from the light emitting elements are imaged by a gradient index rod lens array to form a latent image on a surface of a latent image carrier such as a photosensitive member.